This race was hampered by some unexpected complications (including the weather), but it had some strong, redeeming points. I signed up only about a week or so prior to the … MORE
This race was hampered by some unexpected complications (including the weather), but it had some strong, redeeming points.
I signed up only about a week or so prior to the race date. Signup was easy and the price was appealing, especially since my plan was to use it as a final long training run prior to a Half Marathon planned 3 weeks afterward.
I had participated in one previous US Road Running race a few years back, and like their local nature and smaller fields. The course was appealing because it’s mostly flat and runs along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg (more on that later). They are also known for a wide variety of themed medals and this one didn’t disappoint (Halloween themed).
A week before the race, there was a change to the course due to multiple construction difficulties in the city and changed to a .88 mile loop to be run 15 times. This was apparently unavoidable and disappointing, but I normally do a 1.3 mile loop at home. The race director was communicative so we knew ahead of time and they provided rubber bands to help us keep count.
The second difficulty came with an all day rain (light to moderate). The reassuring part was that the race team had volunteers at multiple points on the course to encourage the racers. These volunteers were much appreciated and helped make a positive experience under the race conditions.
I liked the small field and had my fastest race in 3 to 4 years. The registration and interaction with the race team was seamless and I’m glad that I ran the race. The runners seemed to respond very positively as well. I managed to place in my age group, and it was an added extra to receive a division placement plastic label for the back of the medal including exact finish time. This arrived within a week, so it was quite prompt and happened automatically.
They also provided free pictures of the racers as they lapped the finish line (multiple pictures per runner). The pictures weren’t super high fidelity, but they were a nice extra.
All in all, if you’re looking for a small local race with an interesting medal, I’d recommend you give it a try.
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Good Local Race, Small Price, Fun Medal
This race was hampered by some unexpected complications (including the weather), but it had some strong, redeeming points. I signed up only about a week or so prior to the … MORE
This race was hampered by some unexpected complications (including the weather), but it had some strong, redeeming points.
I signed up only about a week or so prior to the race date. Signup was easy and the price was appealing, especially since my plan was to use it as a final long training run prior to a Half Marathon planned 3 weeks afterward.
I had participated in one previous US Road Running race a few years back, and like their local nature and smaller fields. The course was appealing because it’s mostly flat and runs along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg (more on that later). They are also known for a wide variety of themed medals and this one didn’t disappoint (Halloween themed).
A week before the race, there was a change to the course due to multiple construction difficulties in the city and changed to a .88 mile loop to be run 15 times. This was apparently unavoidable and disappointing, but I normally do a 1.3 mile loop at home. The race director was communicative so we knew ahead of time and they provided rubber bands to help us keep count.
The second difficulty came with an all day rain (light to moderate). The reassuring part was that the race team had volunteers at multiple points on the course to encourage the racers. These volunteers were much appreciated and helped make a positive experience under the race conditions.
I liked the small field and had my fastest race in 3 to 4 years. The registration and interaction with the race team was seamless and I’m glad that I ran the race. The runners seemed to respond very positively as well. I managed to place in my age group, and it was an added extra to receive a division placement plastic label for the back of the medal including exact finish time. This arrived within a week, so it was quite prompt and happened automatically.
They also provided free pictures of the racers as they lapped the finish line (multiple pictures per runner). The pictures weren’t super high fidelity, but they were a nice extra.
All in all, if you’re looking for a small local race with an interesting medal, I’d recommend you give it a try.